Child Care

Affordable, quality and accessible child care is imperative for children and their mothers

 

Child care in the urban areas of Erie & Niagara counties is relatively accessible for daytime care according to research done by the WNY Women's Fund.  However, increased quality and affordability of care are needed because:

• 72% of single, low-income mothers (earning 200 percent of the poverty level or lower) with children under age six were employed in 2008
• In Erie County child care subsidies were allotted to 5,916 children per month although there are nearly 13,000 children under the age of five living in poverty according to the most recent Census.  Even for those eligible for subsidies, child care costs can be cost-prohibitive
• Child care costs in WNY are amongst the highest in the nation averaging between $9,200 and $10,700 per child/year in Erie.  For a woman making slightly more than the subsidy cutoff (175% of the federal poverty line), child care costs would consume more than 40% of her family income

Currently in WNY there exists:

• No uniform standard or system to access or improve programs.  Though over 2,000 child care providers (centers and family day care providers) have met New York Department of Child and Family Services minimal regulations in order to be licensed or registered, these regulations are minimal.  Only 1% of local child care providers have achieved national accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children - a marker of high quality
• Limited advocacy locally around child care

Quality child care and early intervention:

• Promote healthy cognitive, behavioral and emotional development in children
• Create stability in employment - mother's with reliable child care are significantly more likely to stay on the job than those without regular care
• Return more than 7x on each dollar invested

More than 30 states have implemented a quality rating improvement system (QRIS).  This system provides information to help parents choose care, sets clear standards and establishes a data system to measure their attainment, ensures tax dollars are invested wisely, and creates a universal system to assess, improve and communicate the quality of early childhood programs.  The Fund is working on QRIS to fund the next steps in the field test in WNY.

The voice of women and girls must be clearly heard in the conversation around the need for increased child care affordability.  To that end, the Fund participated with a diverse group of collaborators on press conferences, met with government officials including the Commissioner of Social Services, and documented our concerns in writing to the County Executive and the Commissioner.  The Fund will continue to work to increase public awareness for the needs around childcare by convening stakeholders ranging from business leaders, providers, and funders.  The WNY Women's Fund will advocate for a state wide policy goal for a family receiving child care subsidy dollars to spend no more than 10% of family income on child care and for access to high quality child care for all families